Highlights

Indians allegedly fighting for ISIS in Afghanistan, have posted a video that features five young men. Four of them are from Kerala, according to central Intelligence sources, and have reportedly died.

The video, two and a half minutes long, shows photographs of young men. A text message in Malayalam that followed reads "Those who are martyred in the name of Allah, shouldn't be considered as dead. In reality, they are alive with their lord. They will get their share of life abundantly (Sura 3 : Aya 169)".

The video was posted on Wednesday on a group called "Kerala Xposed" which operates on the carefully encrypted messaging app Telegram.

Intelligence officials feel the Telegram group was created about two months ago by Indians who are fighting with ISIS in Afghanistan.

The Kerala police says these men are among the 21 who went missing from the state in the middle of last year to join ISIS in Afghanistan. After reaching there, they used WhatsApp groups to recruit others from Kerala. NDTV reported in May on audio messages posted on WhatsApp and Telegram, allegedly by Abdul Rasheed, a 30-year-old former engineer and teacher from Kerala.

Days ago, the state intelligence confirmed that over 300 young people in Kerala were being targeted with a new programme to prevent them from being radicalised.

"Most of these young people from northern Kerala are innocent and well educated. They get attracted to unsuspecting WhatsApp messages and social media groups, from where they are gradually radicalised," Additional Director General Of Police Muhammad Yasin told NDTV.